Left.
逢ふ事は苗代水を引き止めて通しはてぬや小山田の關
| au koto wa nawashiro mizu o hikitomete tōshihatenu ya oyamada no seki |
Can a meeting, like The waters round the rice seedlings Be stopped In their endless flow Past the Oyamada Barrier? |
Kenshō
997
Right (Win).
衣手は清見が關にあらねども絶ゆるよもなき涙也けり
| koromode wa kiyomi ga seki ni aranedomo tayuru yo mo naki namida narikeri |
My sleeves as The Barrier at Kiyomi Are not, yet Without cease Are my tears… |
Lord Tsune’ie.
998
The Right state: we are unfamiliar with the expression ‘Oyamada Barrier’ (oyamada no seki). The Left state: it sounds as if it is tears that are ceaseless at the Barrier at Kiyomi.
In judgement: the Left’s poem is stylistically tasteful, but with only ‘can a meeting, like the waters round the rice seedlings’ (au koto wa nawashiro mizu) the conception of love is weak is it not? The Right’s poem metaphorically has tears ceaseless at the Barrier at Kiyomi, and with the ta present, I accept the Left’s point to a certain extent, but this type of thing is not unusual in metaphorical poems. In addition, there is little reason to imagine the waters round the rice-seedlings being blocked. As it has a stronger focus on Love, the Right wins.